Chapter 101: Have Her Marry Me

The jade-like tea bowl lid rippled gently against the surface of the tea. Wang Yuanbao took a sip, then shook his head as if with some disdain.

"Anyone with even a shred of insight can see the crisis facing the Wang family. The difficulty lies in how to resolve it, don't you agree?"

"Hmph! You old fox, are you trying to dig a pit for me again?" Lu Lelia thought to himself, while a humble smile remained on his face. "This crisis of the Wang family has already been dissolved into nothingness. What is there to find difficult or not?"

Wang Yuanbao’s eyes flashed, then returned to their usual flat expression. "How has it been dissolved into nothingness? Tell me."

Lu Lelia smiled dismissively. "Your unexpected actions, old man, actually carry deep meaning. If one uses their brain just a little, it becomes clear. There is no need for me to elaborate."

"Can't you satisfy an old man's curiosity?" Wang Yuanbao persisted.

"When the trees of Nanshan are exhausted, the minister's silk remains. Common families hide their wealth deeply. But you, the richest man in Chang'an, can no longer hide it. So, you simply flaunt your wealth before the Sage. Firstly, to make it difficult for the Sage to act secretly when he cares about his reputation, forcing him to maintain an air of magnanimity. Secondly, to clearly tell the Sage that the minister’s wealth is, in fact, the Sage’s wealth, which he can take at any time. As long as the Great Tang is prosperous and stable, the Sage will not touch you."

Feeling thirsty, Lu Lelia helped himself to a cup of tea and took a drink without ceremony.

"By supporting poor scholars to enter the bureaucracy and befriending powerful officials, you have woven a thick net in the court. By being righteous with wealth and charitable, you have gained a great reputation among the people. Even if the Sage wants to move against you, he would have to pay a heavy price. But the most ingenious part is that even though you know supporting scholars from humble backgrounds is taboo, you and the Yang and Guo families compete and boast about it. It took me a long time to realize you are telling the Sage: 'If you want to move against us, you don't need to trouble yourself finding excuses. We have already offered our heads; just tell us how much wealth is needed to avoid punishment, and we will pay it in full.'"

"Haha, hahahaha!" Wang Yuanbao suddenly burst into loud laughter. "You brat, are you comparing us to pigs and sheep led to the slaughter?"

"Under the Sage, who isn't a pig or a sheep? I meant no offense," Lu Lelia said with an apologetic bow.

The stark reality was helpless, sorrowful, and tragic, yet one lacked the power to resist or escape it. The two, who had been speaking eloquently, fell silent.

An old man's heart is always stronger than a young man's. Wang Yuanbao soon recovered, looking at Lu Lelia with a hint of admiration. "As my daughter Liuli said, you are indeed different from the other competitors. I am very satisfied with you. Shall I grant your request?"

Wang Yuanbao pulled out the answer sheet from the final round and held it before Lu Lelia. The four characters, "Let her marry me," written in a bold, sweeping hand, were glaring. Lu Lelia wanted to cry but had no tears, looking pleadingly at the triumphant Wang Yuanbao.

"Old man, that answer was just a joke. It cannot be taken seriously."

"A joke? Do you think I spent such great effort choosing a husband for my precious daughter as a game?" Wang Yuanbao’s expression darkened instantly.

The result was completely unexpected. Lu Lelia looked at the suddenly hostile Wang Yuanbao in disbelief. "My family has only me as the sole grandson, and I already have a wife. How could I possibly marry into your Wang family?" His voice grew weaker as his confidence faltered.

"Hmph! Regardless of your reasons, since you came to participate in the Wang family’s bride-selection, you must accept the result. Marrying into the Wang family was your own proposal; we did not coerce you. If you dare to renege, even if you go to the Sage, our Wang family will not let your Lu family off!"

Wang Yuanbao brandished the answer sheet angrily.

"Where is Lu Jiu? I want to see her!" Lu Lelia was desperate, trying to grab onto this last straw.

"The bride and groom are not to meet before the wedding. I assume your Lu family knows such rules," Wang Yuanbao flicked his sleeve, his face grim.

"I only participated because she told me to! She swore she would never marry, so she asked me to help block the other suitors. This result cannot be real!" Realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, Lu Lelia didn't care about anything else and threw Lu Jiu under the bus.

"Nonsense! Do you think a daughter of the Wang family would do something so damaging to her reputation?" Wang Yuanbao interrupted him harshly.

"I am not lying. Call Lu Jiu out to confront me." Lu Lelia felt a chill; he had stepped into a deep pit.

"In three days, our Wang family will send someone to the Lu family to propose the marriage. Go back and prepare. See him out!" Wang Yuanbao gave him no chance to argue. Two guards appeared from nowhere, grabbed Lu Lelia, and dragged him away.

"By the way, you were able to fabricate a story about a peddler named Wang Ergou getting rich, saddling me with such a vulgar name for a lifetime. To clean up your mess, I not only had to offer a pair of priceless Seven-Treasure Boshan censers, but I also have to build a Temple of the God of Wealth in Chang'an. I have suffered a great loss! Courtesy demands reciprocity, so I have prepared a generous gift for you as well. Prepare to receive it. Haha, hahahaha!"

As he left, Wang Yuanbao's taunting laughter echoed.

"Fat old man, will there be trouble if you pressure him like this?" Lu Jiu emerged from behind, glaring at Wang Yuanbao with dissatisfaction.

"Eh! Who was worried that the brat wouldn't want to marry you? I only stepped in to help. Now that he’s cornered, I’ll give him a way out later. He’ll be so grateful that he’ll marry you willingly." Wang Yuanbao smiled confidently, and Lu Jiu stepped up to massage his shoulders.

"Heehee! Daddy is the best."

...

Lu Lelia rushed into the Ruyi Pavilion in Dayu Town like a madman, unable to find Lu Jiu. Without time to notify anyone, he rode his horse, Wuyun Gaixue, straight to the Tianxian Pavilion. The room where Lu Jiu usually stayed was empty. Gasping for breath, a dazed Lu Lelia walked into Gu Xihua’s room and collapsed onto the floor.

"Hey! Didn't you go to see Lu Jiu's father? Why are you back here?" Gu Xihua was putting on earrings at her vanity. She looked surprised to see him in such a state.

"It's over. I've been set up. I jumped into a deep pit, and it's hard to climb out," Lu Lelia said, grabbing his head in agony.

"What happened?" Gu Xihua became nervous.

Lu Lelia recounted the events, leaving Gu Xihua's jaw hanging. "What! Marry into the Wang family? Didn't Lu Jiu ask you to block the other suitors because she swore not to marry?"

"Heh, heh! Now it's me marrying into the Wang family. She, Lu Jiu, will be 'marrying' me, so she doesn't have to marry out. I was thoughtless—who can I blame but myself? Now I don't even dare go home. I'm afraid my grandfather and Xiao Qi will be angered to death."

Lu Lelia sprawled on the floor, laughing at himself.

"Hmph! When the Wang family held the competition, they didn't say it was for a son-in-law to marry into their house. Why did it change for you?" Gu Xihua asked coldly.

"The third round was just one question: If there is a woman you admire from a prominent family, how do you win her with the lowest cost?"

"Make her love you! That answer must be right," Gu Xihua said confidently.

"The question was the 'lowest cost.' Making her love you isn't as useful as making her father love you—you might even get a bigger dowry. But even if you make both of them love you, you still have to pay a significant bride price, right?" Lu Lelia shook his head.

Gu Xihua frowned, unable to think of a better answer. "Then what was your answer, that you easily beat Young Master Ruochen of the Qin family?"

"Let her marry me! I was acting clever and wrote that down without thinking. Now it has become the evidence Wang Yuanbao uses to threaten me." Lu Lelia slapped himself hard.

"Haha, hahahaha!" Gu Xihua finally burst into laughter.

"Your man is being coerced into marrying into another family, and you can still laugh!" Lu Lelia glared at her, feeling extremely aggrieved.

"Who told you to be so clever? Getting a beauty and inheriting the vast Wang family fortune without spending a copper—marrying into the family isn't such a bad idea, is it?" Gu Xihua giggled, her tension vanishing.

"Gu Xihua, do you still consider me your man! I came to you for help, and you mock me like this?" Lu Lelia stood up and pointed at her nose.

Gu Xihua grabbed his finger, spun into his arms, and playfully touched his face. "I've already served tea to your elders; of course I consider you my man. It's just that if your clever brain can't think of a way, how could I have a better idea?"

"Sigh!" Lu Lelia sighed, patting his chest to steel himself. "When soldiers come, block them with generals; when water comes, block it with earth. If I think hard enough, I'll find a way. I will never marry into the Wang family."

"Just tell your grandfather and your delicate little lady the truth; I'm sure they will forgive you." Gu Xihua patted his head, offering comfort.